Crab Nebula YOUR PULSAR IS RUNNING FAST. The Crab Pulsar, a 16-mile-wide (26 kilometers) star remnant that exploded in approximately 5450 b.c., spins 33 times per second. It sits in the center of this X-ray and optical-light image of the Crab Nebula.
Despite their discovery less than 50 years ago, neutron stars don’t get much attention now. They’re neither as notorious as black holes nor as capable of fully warping space-time. The media shy away from runner-ups and wannabes. That’s a shame because it’s like ignoring a talking gorilla sitting next to you at the movies just because a flying saucer is in the parking lot.
The story of the Crab Nebula (M1) really started before dawn July 4, 1054, when a dazzling new star abruptly appeared near the left horn of Taurus the Bull. As bright as Venus, it could be seen in broad daylight for weeks. It was duly noted by observers in China and duly ignored in the West, where alterations in the heavens were hard to reconcile with the prevailing theology.
@CrystalMarker - Space/ Cosmos always amazes me. Nebulas are both the graveyard and birthplace for stars. Kinda poetic sense to them.
5000 Light Years Away Lies A Huge Cosmic Bubble With A Wolf Rayet Star In The Middle Called The Crescent Nebula. The Oxygen & Hydrogen Atoms Produce The Blue-Green Hue